🌆Autowist Report 102

• 💼BRIEFING

  • Qualcomm announced 10 partnerships during CES

  • BMW’s bold infotainment move

  • Clarios: LV battery and Supercapacitors (Link) (Li …

• 🗂️STAT OF THE WEEK

• ⚡ROUNDUP

• 🔬PATENT WATCH

  • Rivian’s Heated Headlight Patent

• 🐦AUTO BUZZ

• 📈MARKET SNAPSHOT

• 📆CALENDAR

💼BRIEFING

Top insights and analysis that is moving the needle in the automotive industry

Qualcomm announced 10 partnerships during CES

As per a recent post by semianalysis, comparing the revenue of difference semiconductor shops in the Auto/Industrial vertical, Qualcomm is dwarfed by bigger player such as TI/Infineon.

In spite of that I predict Qualcomm is about to enter a major bull run within the automotive vertical. This run is primarily driven by their Ride platform. SoC that can be used across different ECUs in a vehicle.

In last years earning’s call, Qualcomm showed that the market for SDV will be around 100 $bn in 2030 and already now Qualcomm has secured about 45 $bn worth of contract wins. This is excluding the partnerships announced in CES. In December they also won the legal dispute against ARM.

They recorded an all-time high in Auto Revenues at $2.6bn.

BMW’s bold infotainment move

BMW unveiled their latest infotainment system, the Panoramic iDrive running on Operating System X.

What is the new infotainment system?

BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive system integrates a wide, pillar-to-pillar display—called Panoramic Vision—along with an optional 3D head-up display.

The Panoramic Vision display is split into three sections, with the center area acting as a digital instrument cluster for the driver, while the flanking regions can be customized with up to six widgets for audio, navigation, weather, and even performance metrics. Meanwhile, an enhanced multifunction steering wheel with haptic buttons replaces the traditional iDrive knob, allowing for easier control via BMW’s “shy-tech approach.”

Navigation prompts and other information appear in a coordinated manner on both the Panoramic Vision and the 3D head-up display, ensuring drivers stay informed while keeping their eyes on the road. BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant—powered by Large Language Models—further simplifies tasks like finding charging stations or other destinations, making the system more intuitive and adaptive to the driver’s needs.

Why?

The biggest selling point of this design is that more of the cluster is within the driver’s direct line of sight (where it should have been all along). Most solutions that other OEMs have brought to market today are only the “next best” option. Ideally, this approach aligns far better with the driver’s peripheral vision. Additionally, in most vehicles, the steering wheel covers much of the display, while in BMW’s system, the steering wheel is out of the way. In its truest sense, that’s what technology and tools should be: to get out of the operator’s way.

End of the iDrive Knob (2001–2025)

BMW is retiring its long-standing iDrive control knob—first introduced 24 years ago in the 2001 7 Series. Going forward, BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive system will feature touchscreen- and voice-based controls rather than the physical click-wheel.

User data revealed that most drivers simply aren’t engaging with the rotary knob, a shift accelerated by more modern iDrive interfaces (8, 8.5, 9) favoring touch.

Could this change what suppliers pitch around the Munich area? Let’s wait and see 🙂 

Clarios: LV battery and Supercapacitors (Link) (Link)

• New Contract for High-Performance AGM Batteries

  • Clarios announced a contract with an unnamed major U.S. auto manufacturer for high-performance AGM batteries (hAGM).

  • These batteries will be used in 2028 model year full-size SUVs (and potentially other pickup vehicles).

  • Production begins in Q4 2026 at Clarios’s Toledo AGM plant in the U.S.

  • Contract runs for seven years, covering up to 745,000 units annually.

• Advanced 12V and 48V Supercapacitors

  • Clarios secured a separate “significant contract” to supply supercapacitors, also with a major automotive manufacturer.

  • Designed for both 12V and 48V systems.

  • Provides bursts of high power for functions like steer-by-wire, adding minimal extra weight.

  • Targeted at enhancing autonomous and electric vehicle operations as well as advanced safety features.

🗂️STAT OF THE WEEK

2 Chinese automotive companies have broken into the top 100 globally by revenue: BYD and SAIC Motor.

• SAIC Motor

  • Well-known in Western markets for its e-mobility-focused joint venture with General Motors: SAIC-Wuling-GM.

  • Strong emphasis on electric vehicle (EV) innovation through partnerships and joint ventures.

• BYD

  • Ranks among the top five Chinese tech companies in the global top 100 by revenue.

  • Seen as a major challenger to Tesla’s global EV dominance.

  • Focuses on vertical integration, battery technology and electric vehicles, contributing significantly to its revenue and international recognition.

⚡ROUNDUP

Key headlines shaping the auto industry this week

• Tesla’s Long-Term Sales Trend — In Charts (Link)

• China's passenger vehicle market hits all-time high in annual output, wholesales, exports (Link)

• EVs Take 23.4% Share In Germany – Disappointing Year For EV Transition (Link)

• BYD’s new Han L EV just leaked in China and it’s a monster (Link)

• HERE Technologies launches AI Assistant for software-defined vehicles (Link)

• Tata Technologies collaborates with Telechips to jointly develop solutions for software-defined vehicles (Link)

• Tesla recalls 200,000 vehicles with faulty on-board computers (Link)

• 5 auto industry trends to watch in 2025 (Link)

• CES 2025: India’s KPIT showcases innovative technology solutions (Link)

• Despite Tariffs, BYD to Bring Compact BEV to Europe (Link)

• Desay SV, Qualcomm launch new AI-powered smart cockpit platform at CES 2025 (Link)

• Northvolt secures shareholder support amid financial challenges (Link)

• Goodyear sells Dunlop brand to Sumitomo Rubber in strategic divestment (Link)

• HERE and AWS partner to advance software-defined vehicle development (Link)

• Tata Motors Group global wholesales at 341,791 in Q3 FY25 (Link)

• Mazda plans to build an EV battery factory in Japan (Link)

• Volkswagen delivers around 4.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2024 (Link)

• Clarios secures contract for advanced batteries from US-based automaker (Link)

• CES 2025: Auto Suppliers Show Tech Built for EV Disruption (Link)

• DXC and Ferrari extend partnership to develop in-vehicle infotainment systems (Link)

• CES 2025: Intel introduces whole-vehicle platform (Link)

• Tesla Charging Network Compatibility With Mercedes Starts In February (Link)

• Hyundai commits a record +$16.6 billion in Korea to develop new tech and EVs (Link)

• BMW blends AR and panoramic displays into the dashboard of the future (Link)

• Mercedes Cars Get IMAX Enhanced Entertainment System (Link)

• Volvo sold nearly 100,000 EX30 SUVs its first year and now it’s ready to take the US by storm (Link)

• Mercedes India to launch 8 new cars, SUVs this year (Link)

🔬PATENT WATCH

Fresh Innovations from global automotive OEMs

Rivian’s Heated Headlight Patent

• Heated Lens for Vehicle Lamps

  • Rivian’s patent outlines a heated lens that minimizes precipitation buildup (snow, ice, rain, or mist) on lamps.

  • Incorporates a carbon nanotube layer, which transfers heat to the lens to melt or reduce precipitation.

• Addressing Reduced Lamp Heat

  • LED lamps produce less heat than halogen lamps, making them more prone to precipitation buildup.

  • The new lens design avoids obstructing light (unlike wired heating methods) because the nanotube layer is translucent.

• Heated System Operation

  • The carbon nanotube layer may be coupled with heating elements such as wires or silver busbars.

  • Sensors detect weather conditions, triggering a controller to activate the heating layer and clear the lens.

• Broader Applications

  • The patent mentions using this technology for headlamps, windshields, windows, mirrors, or the vehicle shell, providing wider protection from precipitation.

🐦AUTO BUZZ

Top posts, tweets, and videos from the automotive industry

📈MARKET SNAPSHOT

This week’s key movers in the automotive stock market

📆CALENDAR

Upcoming auto industry events and and earnings calls